Favourites and flunkeys
Favourites and flunkeys
British diplomats were, first and foremost, watchers and their dispatches were dominated by the health and doings of the king, his ministers, and the fortunes of factions and favourites at court. This chapter reports the instances of support for, or protest against, royal policies, both foreign and domestic, in addition to confrontations between major interest groups in the state, most notably the clergy, the military, the nobility and, occasionally, other corporate groups. Competent diplomacy therefore involved the maintenance of cordial communications and active diplomacy was devoted to the improvement of relations between states. Much has been made of the congress system's failings and its introduction affected diplomatic practice in important ways. In the process of doing so, the attention of the corps began to shift away from the doings of royals and nobles towards the public in its various manifestations.
Keywords: British diplomats, competent diplomacy, active diplomacy, congress system, diplomatic practice, corporate groups
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